Method and system to enhance performance of a session initiation protocol network and its elements

• US 10,044,767 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2015
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaikh, Mohammed Taher, Kumarasamy, Parameswaran, Chokshi, Jayesh, Pande, Vinay
• Primary Examiner(s): Vostal, O. C.
• Application Number:
  US14/817,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 709228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365

Abstract

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, a communication apparatus includes a communication unit configured to send and receive messages on a network. Each message has a message header configured to include a plurality of header fields, where the message header includes a suppression header field that indicates a request to suppress at least one header field in at least one subsequently sent or received message. The communication apparatus is configured to establish a suppressed header field message exchange session with a peer on the network so that at least one subsequent message exchanged between the communication apparatus and the peer is free of at least one suppressible header field.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus, comprising:

a communication unit configured to exchange session initiation protocol (SIP) based messages with a peer on a network, wherein each SIP based message comprises a plurality of headers each comprising a text-based header field, and wherein;

a first one of the SIP based messages in a communication session omits a first set of suppressible headers of the plurality of headers with field values that are unchanged with respect to a first preceding SIP based message; and

a second one of the SIP based messages in the communication session omits a second set of suppressible headers, different from the first set of suppressible headers, with field values that are unchanged with respect to a second preceding SIP based message.

2. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of headers comprises suppressible headers and mandatory headers; and

the mandatory headers comprise a suppression header comprising a text-based suppression field name and a corresponding suppression field value.

3. The communication apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

each header comprises a text-based field name and zero or more corresponding field values;

the field names for the suppressible headers are selected from the group consisting of Via, Date, Supported, User-Agent, Allow, Max-Forwards, Contact, Expires, Allow-Events, Content-Type, Content-Disposition, and Content-Length; and

one or more of the suppressible headers include a suppressible Session Description Protocol (SDP) parameter that is selected from the group consisting of v, o, s, c, t, m, a, and i.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the suppression header field includes the preferred form herein shown in quotes “

Header-suppression;

true”

.

5. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication session comprises a header-suppressed SIP based communication session and the communication unit is configured to:

request that the header-suppressed SIP based communication session be initiated with the peer using a suppression field value in an initial SIP based message sent to the peer;

receive an acknowledgment indicating that the peer supports header suppression; and

exchange the first and the second ones of the SIP based messages with the peer.

6. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication unit is configured to:

parse one of the SIP based messages to determine the presence of a suppressible header field;

generate a header field record based on the suppressible header field; and

generate a SIP based message header using the stored header field record.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication session is configured to communicate Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) information.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second preceding SIP based message comprises the first one of the SIP based messages.

9. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the communication unit and/or the peer comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone; and

at least a portion of the network comprises a wired or wireless connection.

10. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the network comprises at least one network node disposed between the communication unit and the peer that is configured to support SIP based message header suppression;

a first portion of the network comprises a Local Area Network (LAN); and

a second portion of the network comprises Wide Area Network (WAN).

11. A method for exchanging session initiation protocol (SIP) based messages on a network, wherein each SIP based message comprises a plurality of headers, the method comprising:

transmitting a first one of the SIP based messages in a communication session that omits a first set of suppressible headers of the plurality of headers with field values that are unchanged with respect to a first preceding SIP based message; and

transmitting a second one of the SIP based messages in the communication session that omits a second set of suppressible headers, different from the first set of suppressible headers, with field values that are unchanged with respect to a second preceding SIP based message;

wherein the communication unit and/or the peer comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, and wherein at least a portion of the network comprises a wired or wireless connection.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the plurality of headers comprises suppressible headers and mandatory headers; and

the mandatory headers comprise a suppression header comprising a text-based suppression field name and a corresponding suppression field value.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

each header comprises a text-based field name and zero or more corresponding field values;

the field names for the suppressible headers are selected from the group consisting of Via, Date, Supported, User-Agent, Allow, Max-Forwards, Contact, Expires, Allow-Events, Content-Type, Content-Disposition, and Content-Length; and

one or more of the suppressible headers include a suppressible Session Description Protocol (SDP) parameter that is selected from the group consisting of v, o, s, c, t, m, a, and i.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the suppression header field includes the preferred form herein shown in quotes “

Header-suppression;

true”

.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication session comprises a suppressed header message exchange session, the method further comprising establishing the suppressed header message exchange session by:

asserting a suppression header field in an initial one of the SIP based messages to indicate a request to establish the suppressed header message exchange session on the network;

receiving an acknowledgement of the request to establish the suppressed header message exchange session;

transmitting the first preceding SIP based message, wherein the first preceding SIP based message includes one or more suppressible header fields; and

transmitting the first one of the SIP-based messages to establish the suppressed header field message exchange session.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication session is configured to communicate Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) information.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the second preceding SIP based message comprises the first one of the SIP based messages.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the network comprises at least one network node disposed between the communication unit and the peer that is configured to support SIP based message header suppression;

a first portion of the network comprises a Local Area Network (LAN); and

a second portion of the network comprises Wide Area Network (WAN).

16. A method for exchanging session initiation protocol (SIP) based messages on a network, wherein each SIP based message comprises a plurality of headers, the method comprising:

transmitting a first one of the SIP based messages in a communication session that omits a first set of suppressible headers of the plurality of headers with field values that are unchanged with respect to a first preceding SIP based message;

transmitting a second one of the SIP based messages in the communication session that omits a second set of suppressible headers, different from the first set of suppressible headers, with field values that are unchanged with respect to a second preceding SIP based message;

parsing one of the SIP based messages to determine the presence of a suppressible header field;

generating a header field record based on the suppressible header field; and

generating a SIP based message header using the stored header field record.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the communication unit and/or the peer comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone; and

at least a portion of the network comprises a wired or wireless connection.